: : i will have to disagree w/ both of you. i believe Sir Horace Panter said it best, "picks are for guitar players or your nose." if you want to have a more "cutting" sound, try boosting the treble and attacking the strings near the bridge. the range of different sounds one can get w/ different right hand techniques is almost limitless.

: testify,: the Preacher

Hi there people,Sorry Preacher and "Vib", but I think what A.J. asks is wether it's "better to play bass with fingers or with a pick". I read this question as asking if one of these techniques is more "correct" or "right" or "more bass-appropriate" than the other. That is what both me and Pat H. answered. A.J. wasn't asking for suggestions about how to achieve tonal variation with using one technique only. Regarding the Horace Panter quote, yes, it's sure cute and amusing, but in the end is nothing but silly snobbery (no wonder why Mr. Panter is no authority in the bass world). To hear a master player taking advantage of both pick AND fingerstyle playing, listen to any recording by Anthony Jackson (the work he did with pianist Michel Camilo is especially stunning).By the way, while it's true you can achieve many tonal variables by changing your right hand position around, there are timbral qualitys inherent to plectrum playing that are nearly impossible to achieve with fingers.Buena suerte and keep those basses up front in the mix,El Pájaro.